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Coenzyme Q10 production directly from precursors by free and gel-entrapped Sphingomonas sp. ZUTE03 in a water-organic solvent, two-phase conversion system

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Abstract

In a water-organic solvent, two-phase conversion system, CoQ10 could be produced directly from solanesol and para-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHB) by free cells of Sphingomonas sp. ZUTE03 and CoQ10 concentration in the organic solvent phase was significantly higher than that in the cell. CoQ10 yield reached a maximal value of 60.8 mg l−1 in the organic phase and 40.6 mg g−1-DCW after 8 h. CoQ10 also could be produced by gel-entrapped cells in the two-phase conversion system. Soybean oil and hexane were found to be key substances for CoQ10 production by gel-entrapped cells of Sphingomonas sp. ZUTE03. Soybean oil might improve the release of CoQ10 from the gel-entrapped cells while hexane was the suitable solvent to extract CoQ10 from the mixed phase of aqueous and organic. The gel-entrapped cells could be re-used to produce CoQ10 by a repeated-batch culture. After 15 repeats, the yield of CoQ10 kept at a high level of more than 40 mg l−1. After 8 h conversion under optimized precursor’s concentration, CoQ10 yield of gel-trapped cells reached 52.2 mg l−1 with a molar conversion rate of 91% and 89.6% (on PHB and solanesol, respectively). This is the first report on enhanced production of CoQ10 in a two-phase conversion system by gel-entrapped cells of Sphingomonas sp. ZUTE03.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported by the Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province of PR China under Grant No. 2007C23035, for which the authors are grateful.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310032, China

    Weihong Zhong, Weijian Wang, Zhuoyi Kong, Bin Wu, Li Zhong & Xuanzhen Li

  2. Technical Center, Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Taizhou, 318000, China

    Ji Yu

  3. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA

    Fuming Zhang

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  1. Weihong Zhong
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  2. Weijian Wang
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  3. Zhuoyi Kong
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  4. Bin Wu
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  5. Li Zhong
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  6. Xuanzhen Li
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  7. Ji Yu
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  8. Fuming Zhang
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Correspondence to Weihong Zhong.

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Zhong, W., Wang, W., Kong, Z. et al. Coenzyme Q10 production directly from precursors by free and gel-entrapped Sphingomonas sp. ZUTE03 in a water-organic solvent, two-phase conversion system. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 89, 293–302 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2876-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2876-9

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